Matthew Williams vs the World
by addledwalrus
Summary: A Hetalia version of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, following a certain Canadian as he sets out to defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil exes. Human AU.
1. Band Practice

**This is the first installment in my Scott Pilgrim/Hetalia crossover. I hope you enjoy it.  
If the beginning seems unnecessary to anyone, I'll edit this chapter to accommodate the change.**

* * *

_A teenage girl sat on the bus next to her mother, clutching her books while pretending she couldn't hear the latter nagging her to get a boyfriend. She sighed and glanced towards the other side of the bus where she saw a young man sitting alone and looking, as her English teacher would have described it, rather melancholy._

_The sadness on the young man's face aside, she found herself thinking about how cute he was with his longish blond hair, blue eyes and red maple leaf hoodie. For what reason was a guy like him so glum?_

_A lone car suddenly pulled out from a driveway and into the path of the bus, stunning the driver. He slammed his foot hard on the brake and the vehicle came to a rapid stop, the force sending many of the passengers forward._

_A few exchanges of profanity between the two drivers later, the girl was hurriedly picking her dropped books that had scattered all over the floor of the bus._

_The large man behind the steering wheel stared at her impatiently as she went down on her hands and knees to retrieve her maths textbook from beneath one of the front seats._

_She got up and brushed some dust off her knees when she heard a gentle voice behind her._

_"Hey, here's the rest of them." The cute guy from earlier said politely, holding a large pile of books effortlessly in his hands. "I could help you carry some later if that's alright with you."_

_"Thank you so much." The girl thanked him. She was beginning to feel a fluttering in her chest, but couldn't think of a logical reason._

_"So, how do I say your name? I saw it written in one of your books..." He asked once the two of them were back in their seats and the bus was moving again._

_"Just call me 'Mei'!" She called out in reply._

_"May?"_

_"Yeah! What's your name?!"_

* * *

Four young people, three men and one female, sat around a dining table eating their breakfast.

"You're dating a high schooler? What's wrong with you?!" The lone female asked our story's hero, Matthew Williams.

"It's not what you think, Liz..." He said in embarrassment as he poured dollops of maple syrup over his pancakes. "She's mature and smart, and I think she understands me..."

He sat down at the table and began to eat his pancakes while being seemingly oblivious to the disapproving looks of the other two people there.

"Seriously, Matt? How desperate are you?" The one by the name of Alfred uttered in concern. "She'd better be hot, is all I'm saying."

"Um, that word's not what I'd use to describe her. She's more cute, if you know what I mean..."

"What have you guys done together so far?" The youngest at the table, a mere adolescent by the name of Emil inquired in curiosity.

"Well, we've ridden the bus together, talked, gone shopping, the usual..."

"You two kissed yet?"

"We've only held hands, Alfred."

"So she's cute, huh? Are you evil or are you just really stupid?"

"What did you say, Liz?"

"Nothing you'd care about." She retorted bitterly.

"So what's her name?" Alfred asked another question, now genuinely interested in Matthew's dating life.

"May. Or at least that's what she told me. I don't think it's her real one..."

"Tell us how you met her!"

"It's a long story, but I believe it happened on the bus one day..."

* * *

"Is that all? That was actually pretty short." Liz sighed in disappointment as she set up her drums for band practice.

She waited for a reply from Matthew, but one never came, for he was distracted by the ringing of the doorbell.

"Oh, I think it's her! I told her she could come over today!"

He ran to the door and opened it swiftly to reveal a smiling young Asian girl standing on the doorstep.

"Hi, Matthew." She greeted him shyly, flashing her perfect white teeth as she spoke.

"Hello, May. You're welcome to come in if you want-"

"Not so fast, bro."

Alfred came to the door and peered out at Mei, who looked back in confusion.

"Oh, this is Alfred. He's the lead guitarist in our band..." Matthew began to explain, only for Alfred to slam the door shut before Mei could enter.

"Is she gonna geek out?" He asked Matthew in complete seriousness.

"I'll tell her to just sit in the corner..."

"Dude, I _want_ her to geek out."

Matthew blinked and thought of all the times he'd hung out with her, taking special note on how she had reacted to specific events before formulating his answer.

"Yeah, she definitely has the capacity to geek..."

* * *

Mei sat down on the couch next to Emil as the older kids set up their instruments in preparation for rehearsal.

"So what do you play?" She asked the silver-haired teen hesitantly.

"Zelda...Tetris...that sort of stuff..."

"That's not what I meant."

"Oh, sorry. I actually don't really play any instruments. I just live here and watch them perform."

He lowered his head in shame and Mei turned her attention to the three young adults poised to begin playing in front of her.

"Let's start with Launchpad McQuack." Matthew announced. He got a confused look from Alfred.

"That's not the actual title-"

"We are Sex Bob-omb!" Liz screamed over the two boys and counted to four, smashing her drums accordingly. Matthew hastily started playing his bass guitar and was able to get into rhythm with the drum beats quite smoothly. Alfred then began to strum the strings on an acoustic guitar that somehow produced a rough electric sound and sung the words to their song, whatever it was supposed to be called.

The music gradually built up in intensity until it reached an epic climax that blew Mei's mind. Her eyes and her mouth dropped wide open in awe, in contrast to Emil's unfazed expression as he focused on the falling blocks on his console screen.

The song came to an end almost as abruptly as it had begun, but Mei was slow to break out of her rock induced euphoria. It was so unlike all the classical pieces she and her friends played on their pianos and violins at school and home. It was different, a fresh change from what she had grown so used to and it made her feel, dare she say it, ready to rebel and take on the authority of her parents.

For the time being though, she was only able to utter a single sentence to the band that was now packing up their instruments.

"You guys...are so...amazing..."

* * *

**If you're wondering who is who, here's the cast so far.**

**Scott Pilgrim: Canada**  
**Knives Chau: Taiwan (Most people call her 'Mei' because they can't be bothered trying to say her real name)**  
**Stephen Stills: America**  
**Kim Pine: Hungary (known as Liz for short)**  
**Young Neil: Iceland**


	2. Dating A Highschooler

_Matthew lay in his bunk, tears rolling down his face as he stared at a photo of smiling girl with long, fair hair. Whatever it was that had gone wrong between them, seemed to have been wiped from his memory, but he still couldn't help but feel heartbroken at his loss._

_A girl with messy blonde hair sat up on the opposite side of the room and rubbed her eyes in exhaustion._

_"Bloody hell, Matthew. How do you expect me to sleep if you keep crying like that?"_

* * *

"She actually seems nice." Alfred reflected as he sat down on the bed next to Matthew.

"Yeah, I told you so." Matthew replied with a slight smugness in his voice.

"Whatever. I still can't get over the fact you're dating a sixteen year old." Liz said disapprovingly, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall.

"She's turning seventeen this year..."

"Does that make any difference? People are still going to talk."

Matthew gulped nervously and stared expectantly at Emil, whom was busy playing Minecraft on the computer.

* * *

A smartly dressed man reclined in his armchair, reading a magazine while soothing French music played on a CD player behind him. He turned a page to an article about some internationally renowned supermodel and smiled.

The door to the man's apartment swung open slowly and he glanced up from his magazine to see a familiar figure entering and wiping their shoes on the doormat.

"Welcome home, Matthieu. I was wondering if you would even come back at all."

"Francis, there's something I think I need to tell you. Promise you won't get upset if I do." The younger man said anxiously as he hung his coat up on the wall and waited for a response.

"Don't be afraid. Surely, you would trust your mature cousin who kindly offered to take you in after your parents kicked you out."

"Please don't remind me of that time. It's not my fault getting a job is so hard..."

"Anyway, tell me what it is that's bothering you."

"Well...I'm dating another girl now."

"So you've gotten over _her_? Isn't that a good thing?"

"That's not it, Francis. I'm going out with...a high schooler."

"A high schooler?! What?!"

The magazine hit the floor loudly and Matthew freaked out at the sight of his shocked cousin. Not wanting to cause any more trouble, our hero ran into the bathroom and locked the door until the atmosphere had calmed down a little.

* * *

"I'm very sorry for reacting like that. It's just that not even I ever thought of doing such a thing when I was your age."

Matthew blushed. "It's not what you think it is. She's mature and smart and seems to...never mind, just don't tell anyone else. Please."

"Matthieu, you should know me better." Francis smirked, flicking out his cellphone and getting up from his armchair. He walked towards the vacant bathroom, pushing past Matthew on the way there. The door slammed shut and Matthew was left confused at what his cousin had meant.

It became clear mere moments later when the phone on the coffee table began to ring.

"Hello?" Matthew greeted, bringing the receiver hurriedly up to his ear.

"You're dating a sixteen year old?!" A female voice yelled from the other end.

"Who told you that, Emma...?" Matthew asked wearily, leaning his head in his hand in despair.

"Francis."

"You should have known me!" Francis called out from the bathroom.

"I hate you!" Matthew called back before turning back to the receiver in his hand. "Why, oh why does it have to happen this way?"

"Who is the poor child that you've chosen this time, Matthew?"

"Her name's May, I think. She said that her family's from Taiwan."

"Sixteen, and from Taiwan? Could you get any more shady?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"You've been spending too much time with my_ brother_, haven't you?"

"Actually, I hardly even see him now."

"...You haven't done anything...questionable with her yet, I hope?"

"We've just held hands. Nothing else."

"...That's a relief, 'cos I think you should stop this before things get serious. It's been a year since that other girl left you, I thought you would be over her by now."

"I am. That's why I'm with someone else..."

"Listen, I can't talk to you forever. I have customers waiting for coffee and I need to go, but I hope you'll at least consider what I've said. Bye."

Matthew sighed when all he heard afterwards was static. How on earth did everybody but him manage to get decent jobs?

* * *

A school bell rang, signalling the end of classes for the day and soon clusters of students were pouring out of the main doors. Matthew stood near the front gates of the school with Francis waiting for 'May' to arrive so that he could go out with her later.

"Why, of all places, does it have to be the same high school I attended when _I _was sixteen?" Francis moaned, shuddering as he seemed to recall unpleasant memories of his own adolescence.

"How was I supposed to know? You never really talk much about your past."

Matthew looked towards the crowd of teenagers in uniforms and was quickly able to pick out his girlfriend excitedly skipping along while another girl trudged behind her.

"Matt! You're actually here!" She squealed, coming right up to him grabbing one of his hands before he could react. "And who's that next to you?"

"My cousin, Francis. He sort of gets around."

"Oh..." She blinked, unable to comprehend the meaning of the phrase her boyfriend had just used. Francis took this moment of silence from her as a chance to tell her something he thought highly important.

"Young lady..." He began, grabbing her by the shoulders much to her surprise. "You still have your whole life ahead of you. Think twice before you waste it on this boy."

Francis gave Matthew a piercing look before letting go of the girl and departing within a couple of seconds.

Mei stared at her boyfriend, unsure of what to say as he laughed nervously and anxiously suggested that they go as soon as possible.

* * *

Matthew and her went to the arcade where they chose a simulation game involving ninjas. The two of them followed and moved perfectly in time to the motions shown on the screen, culminating in Mei taking a step to the side away from Matthew so that she could successfully do a flip over his back.

She landed on her feet and grinned, not quite able to believe that she had just performed such a feat. Matthew straightened up and looked at the screen of the machine, which was now asking him if he wanted to continue, as the numbers counted down from ten.

"Should we...?" He whispered hesitantly.

"Well, there is somewhere else I'd like to go..."

* * *

That Saturday, they met up early in the morning and bought pizza together. Mei insisted that they go to a clothing store, so they walked to the nearest Goodwill.

"I know a lot of kids who play the violin, but I've never met anyone who played in a rock band."

After Mei had picked a sweater she particularly liked, she dragged him with her to the record store across the road. He had tried to think of an excuse to not go there, but none of the ones he came up with were convincing in his opinion, so he gave in to her wishes.

"You guys are amazing, I know you're all going to be famous one day." She smiled as she searched through the rock section for an album from her favourite band. She was met with little success, so she waved at the nearest shop assistant to get their attention. Matthew froze.

A young woman with blonde hair tied into a tight ponytail and glasses glared at the couple, putting down the pile of CD cases she'd been holding.

"Yes. What do you want to ask me?"

"Excuse me, do have you any albums by 'The Clash At Demonhead'?" Mei asked, unaffected by the woman's withering stare.

"Why don't you try the section _marked_ 'The Clash At Demonhead'?"

"Thank you!"

The teenage girl skipped off to the section and Matthew was about to follow, when the woman called his name.

"What?"

"Having fun taking advantage of a little girl?" The shop assistant said icily. "You're coming to my party next week, aren't you?"

Matthew shuddered and made his way to where Mei was ogling a bold album cover.

"We should get out of here, and you shouldn't buy their album." He hurriedly grabbed her arm, forcing her to drop the CD case.

"But I love their lead singer! She's so cool, have you read her blog?"

"Cool? She used to be that, until she turned into a bi-"

Matthew bit his lip to stop himself from uttering such a word in front of a minor. "Actually, we should just go, okay? Urgent business..."

* * *

"You're so talented, Matthew..." Mei sighed as they walked along the snow-covered footpath holding hands.

"Do you really think so...?" He asked cautiously. Nobody had called him that in a long time and he wanted to make sure she really meant it.

"Yes, I do! You're really cute too, have I told you that?"

A short silence followed between them, in which Matthew tried to shake off the compliments and his girlfriend's dreamy gaze.

"You know, I've never really kissed a guy before." She sighed, letting go of his hand and stepping straight in front of him.

Matthew found himself having to bend over so that he could have level eye contact with her. It was too soon for her to be making such an advance on him, what was he supposed to do?

He rummaged through his mental bank of appropriate responses to use in difficult situations until he found one that he thought would work best in the current context.

"Well, me neither."

It took a few seconds for Mei to process his words, but when she did, she simply smiled and gave him a hug instead.

* * *

**The action should start to build up in a chapter or two, so please stay tuned until then. In the meantime, here are the latest characters.**

**Wallace Wells: France**

**Stacey Pilgrim: Belgium (She won't be his sister in this version, just a close friend of Francis)**

**Julie Powers: Fem!England**


	3. American Woman

_A young woman awaited her next flight in a New York airport. She scrolled through her contacts on her phone until she reached a name that now gave her all sorts of unpleasant feelings. _

_She stared at the summary of the person's details, before deleting them for good._

* * *

The seemingly mismatched couple reached a rather tidy looking street after their day out and Matthew slowed down on his walk, looking around at the houses with a sense of familiarity. He stopped outside a small grey door marked with a number twenty-seven and came to a stop, turning to speak to Mei.

"That there is my secret lair."

"Secret lair?"

"Yeah, I used to go there all the time when I was a kid." Matthew explained, his pleasant boyhood memories bringing a smile to his face.

"Can I see what's inside it?"

"Well, it's not really a girl friendly place. Sometimes I had friends come over to do 'boys only' stuff..."

"Oh, ok..."

"Anyway, do you want to see the house I grew up in?"

Mei nodded and he took her hand, looking both ways for oncoming cars before they crossed the road together to the other side of the street.

As Matthew looked upon the pretty red house, he found himself feeling inexplicably lonely. Perhaps it was being face to face with his childhood home that made him realize how shallow all of his relationships had become. He glanced at the girl beside him and began to doubt whether he could actually enjoy a future with her.

"So alone..." He moaned as his legs suddenly gave way and he felt himself fall down towards the pavement.

* * *

Everything went black for what seemed like a few seconds, then a flash of light blinded him and the next thing he knew, he was stranded by himself in the middle of a scorched desert with only a lone cactus to keep him company.

"You're not alone! You're just having some idiotic dream!" A female voice with a noticeable American accent echoed behind him.

Before he could react, a woman with wavy blonde hair rolled past him on roller skates, leaving a thick trail of dust and sand behind her. Her old fashioned pilot attire and the goggles she wore around her head appeared to hark back to the forties.

Watching her, Matthew briefly felt as if a figure from some vintage film or photo had come to life and colour in front of him. His mind then swayed towards the most logical explanation for why he was apparently seeing somebody from the past.

"Excuse me, are you a time traveller?!" He blurted out to the woman but she did not answer, continuing on without another word until she disappeared into the distance.

* * *

"Oh gosh..." Matthew groaned, sitting up in bed and looking around in the darkness.

"What is it?" Francis whispered as he too sat up next to Matthew.

"I had a pretty weird dream."

"Did it involve your ex-girlfriend?" Yet another man asked, emerging from beneath the sheets beside Francis.

"Other Matt, we do not talk about that girl in this house!" Francis hissed to the object of his latest fling.

"No. There was a woman dressed like an World War Two pilot, as if she was from some old movie..." Matthew explained, getting confused looks from the other two.

"Speaking of old things, weren't you supposed to take your little girlfriend to the library half an hour ago?" Francis finally thought to tell his younger cousin once things had settled down.

"Huh?"

Matthew slid out of bed and went over to the other side so that he could see the time.

"But it's six in the morning!" He complained, going over to the bathroom door so that he could take a leak. He opened it and a bright flash of light suddenly blinded him.

* * *

"I feel like I'm back in high school..."

Matthew stood by the bookshelf in boredom as Mei stacked heavy calculus books into his arms. She seemed satisfied only she had picked seven and together they went down the stairs to scan the books at the checkout.

A young woman arrived there ahead of them and handed a package from to the librarian. She turned to look momentarily at Matthew and he almost dropped all seven of Mei's books when he recognized her from his dream.

"Do you know that girl?" Mei asked after noticing him staring shamelessly at the blonde woman.

Matthew himself did not hear his girlfriend's words, the image of the stranger's face still imprinted in his memory. He lost track of time as he stood on the stairs, unable to think of anything else.

"Matt! You've only been playing one note for the entire song!" Alfred's voice snapped him out of his trance.

Matthew looked at his bandmate and highschool friend then down at his hands, which were now cradling his bass guitar.

"Huh? How did I get here?"

"Is your girlfriend distracting you?" Elizaveta snapped harshly from her chair behind the drums.

"I'm sorry. I'll be as quiet as I can." Mei whispered in guilt, as she sat on the couch watching another rehearsal session by her favourite band.

"Let's try this once again..." Alfred prompted Matthew and Elizaveta, sighing in annoyance.

* * *

The three members of Sex Bob-omb along with Emil walked together down the freezing street to a stated destination that Matthew had long since forgotten.

"Where we are we going again?" He asked Alfred hesitantly.

"To Vicky's party! I've told you like five times already!"

"Herl?"

"Duh."

Matthew didn't feel any good about having to attend the party later. He'd first met Vicky (her real name was Victoria) in university when she had just moved from London and was trying to adjust to her new life. Unfortunately for him, the more she settled down, the more mean she seemed to become until he couldn't stand being her roommate anymore.

He'd begun dating one of her misfit friends in an attempt to get back at her, but never thought he'd end up liking the strange girl for real. They were close for a year until she became sullen and cold, losing her interest in the activities they used to enjoy.

He had a vague memory of confronting her at a party where she was clearly quite agitated, but he couldn't remember what happened precisely afterwards for some reason. All he knew was that whatever happened had been enough to end their relationship for good and he didn't realize until it was over how empty his life was without someone by his side.

The four young adults arrived at the front door and were let in after a brief glance at their faces and clothes. As Matthew walked in behind Alfred, he told himself that it would be best to simply avoid his former roommate for as long as possible.

Elizaveta and Alfred both went off to have some alcohol as well as seek out gossip, while Matthew kept young Emil company and drank coke with the teenage boy.

Minutes went by with very little happening that was exciting in his opinion, so he excused himself and told Emil that he needed to go to the bathroom.

* * *

Matthew left the bathroom and saw a familiar bespectacled boy standing leaning against the stair rails talking to a pretty brunette.

"Eduard, you know everyone." Matthew alerted him. "Could you tell me about this girl?"

He produced a crude drawing of a faceless girl with yellow squiggles for hair and waved it at Eduard, who nodded in recognition.

"That's Amelia Howard. I heard she would be at this party tonight, why are you interested in her?"

Matthew wasted no time in speaking any further and quickly left Eduard's side in the hope of finding the girl from his dreams. He gently pushed his way past other party goers as he didn't want to cause any chaos, until he saw what he was looking for standing alone by the wall holding a plastic cup.

She wore a plain t-shirt and jeans as she too sipped cola while appearing bored. He inched sideways towards her until he caught her attention and she stared at him.

"So, uh...do you like hockey?"

"Not really."

"Well then...did you know that moose hair is hollow? It helps insulate them from the cold..."

"Moose? Seriously?" Amelia raised an eyebrow.

Perhaps bringing up facts he learned from a school project he once did, wasn't such a good idea.

"Um, I think I'll leave you alone..."

He backed away from her and found his way back into the crowd, hoping that she wouldn't notice him among the other guests. He soon encountered Eduard again and took the time to find out more about his mystery girl.

"What do you know about Amelia Howard?"

"All I know is that she's American. And she just broke up with her boyfriend."

"So, she's single?"

"Most likely."

* * *

Matthew went to bed that night feeling inexplicably excited and in high spirits. He rolled over on his side and nestled his head into his pillow, smiling calmly and closing his eyes.

He was disturbed an hour later by the sound of Francis returning and shutting the apartment door. The older man collapsed on to the bed next to him and whispered under his breath.

"I...I shouldn't have had so much wine. I have a splitting headache now..."

"Francis?" Matthew mumbled without opening his eyes.

"What?"

"The girl in my dreams I told you about is real. Her name's Amelia Howard..."

He tried to work up the energy to think of what to tell Francis next, but gave in to sleep before he could even resume speaking.

* * *

**I'm calling her Amelia Howard here because, I did a search on the internet and it turns out there are well known people by the name of Amelia/Emily Jones and let's just say, it was a little awkward.  
**


	4. Mail Delivery

_A young man by the name of Tino dragged himself up from the foot of the stairs and took slow steps towards the nearest phone in his house. He clutched his limp right arm and winced in pain as he came closer, letting go of it when he needed to enter numbers using the dial pad. He placed the receiver to his ear with his able arm and waited for the line to connect._

_"Hi, it's me Tino. I'm afraid I can't practice with you two today..."_

* * *

Matthew got up early the following morning and tiptoed over to his cousin's computer in the corner.

He switched it on and waited ages for it to start up. The clunky desktop screen appeared before him and he wondered why his cousin still used a model from 1995 when he could easily afford something a lot more current and slick. He double clicked on the Internet Explorer icon and waited another few minutes for the window to open.

Once the homepage had loaded, he typed the address for Amazon Canada into the search bar and went to make himself a mug of coffee.

The phone rang just as he was about to scoop some sugar into his cup. He dropped the spoon into his drink with a splash and bolted to the coffee table in the living room, seizing the receiver in a rush.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"It's me, Emma. Tell me you're not thinking of juggling two girls..."

"No! Why would I do that? Who told you so?"

"Francis."

Matthew took a step backwards and saw Francis still asleep in the corner of his eye.

"He's not even awake!" He yelled into the phone at his cousin's childhood friend.

"Whatever. I can't wait to tell everybody in my contacts list!"

Emma hung up straight after and Matthew had no choice but to do the same. He wandered back into the bedroom and saw that Francis was holding a cellphone tightly in his hand.

"How did you do that?" He sighed.

* * *

"Francis, I really need to order something here. Is this where I fill in my credit card details?"

"Yes..." Francis muttered, struggling to sit himself up in bed.

Matthew clicked to complete his order and a voice alerted him of a new email he'd received.

"Wow, this thing tells me I have mail!"

Francis shook his head. "Maybe you shouldn't call yourself a nineties kid, then..."

Matthew opened his inbox and eyed his two unread messages. The first was a confirmation email from Amazon just he had expected, while the second one was apparently from some guy known as 'Raj'.

His curiosity getting the better of him, he decided to read it.

_Dear Mr Williams, it has come to my attention...we shall be fighting to the death soon...my name is Raj and I am..._

"This is...this is..." Matthew's eyes dilated as he mouthed quietly, seemingly in shock.

"What is it?"

"This is boring! I think I'll delete it!"

Matthew logged out of his account, closed the browser and shut down the computer. He walked over to the main door of the apartment and sat down on the floor, crossing his legs.

"What are you doing, Matthieu?"

"I'm waiting for the package I ordered."

"Matthieu, don't be silly. It always takes a few days for deliveries to arrive..."

The doorbell rang and Matthew jumped up excitedly, grabbing the doorknob and getting ready to turn it.

"You were saying..?"

He opened the door and instantly felt like smacking his head against a wall, for it was simply Mei coming over a visit.

"Attack hug!" She squealed, throwing herself forward and squeezing his chest hard. He gasped and twisted his head in Francis' direction, hoping his roommate wouldn't torment him for his stupidity later.

Mei released him after a few seconds and spoke to him firmly with a hint of impatience in her voice.

"You were supposed to meet me at the bus stop half an hour ago."

"Oh, how could I forget!" Matthew smacked his own forehead. "I guess I was too busy ordering stuff online!"

* * *

"Yearbook club is so boring. I can't believe they expect us to listen to dull old songs while we work..." Mei chattered as they walked out of a pizza store together.

Matthew's expression made it seem as if he were listening intently, when his mind was solely on the American girl and the delivery he was waiting for.

"I wish my brother wasn't such a control freak, he's always telling me how to do my homework even when I don't really need any help..." She went on as she picked a jacket at Goodwill.

Matthew found himself unable to concentrate as he played Ninja Ninja Revolution with his girlfriend. He messed up several of his moves and eventually bumped into her clumsily, resulting in a 'game over'.

He froze and didn't know what to expect. She stopped and gazed at his face sweetly, before jumping up and gave him a quick kiss on his lips.

He almost fell backwards in shock but managed to compose himself and maintain his balance.

"May, this might seem like bad news but I was thinking that I should...I should..."

"Go on..." She encouraged him, a visible blush on her cheeks.

"...I should go rehearse!"

"Great! Can I go with you?"

"Uh, sure..."

Matthew took a deep breath, silently hating himself for lacking the courage to tell his girlfriend that he wanted to break up. Now that she had kissed him, did it mean that things were officially serious between them?

* * *

Matthew sat by the window tuning his bass guitar, ignoring the positive mood around him.

"Guess what, guys? I got us a deal!" Alfred announced to plenty of excitement from Mei, whom was wearing a shirt with 'Sex Bob-omb' printed on it.

"Spill it..." Elizaveta groaned with a lack of enthusiasm.

"We're playing in a battle of the bands."

"Oh my God! When is it?!" Mei screamed.

Matthew winced.

"On Wednesday, at the Rockit-"

"Isn't that place actually a toilet?"

"Not anymore, Liz. They just renovated it."

"So what is this battle of the bands about? What's the deal?" Mei asked cluelessly.

"Well girl, whoever wins gets a record deal with music manager A.K...and people will start wearing our t-shirts..." He explained, putting his hand on her shoulder without thinking. She pushed his arm away.

"Who are we battling?" Emil raised his hand.

"I'm getting there." Alfred dismissed the boy with a wave of his hand. He pulled a giant flip chart from underneath his table and stood it up the others to see.

"Erik and the Boys." He introduced as he motioned to the first page, which simply contained the name of the band scrawled out in large letters.

"That band? Oh no..." Emil groaned.

"I know them! Their lead singer's really creepy!" Mei exclaimed.

He turned to a cartoon drawing of Erik on the second sheet with annotations surrounding the frowning figure.

_Name: Erik_

_Attributes: Doesn't have feelings, as far as I know..._

_Position: Vocals, Guitarist_

_Powers: Metal Scream, Incredibly Hard Skull_

Alfred flipped to the third page of the flip chart, showing a picture of a scowling man with a bass guitar by his side.

_Name: Berwald_

_Attributes: Never smiles_

_Position: Bass Guitarist_

_Powers: Icy Stare, Sound Manipulation_

Alfred turned to Elizaveta, putting on a more serious expression as he got ready to show her the page about the drummer.

"Brace yourself, Liz..." He said quietly. She nodded.

On the last page, was nothing but a large question mark in the centre of the sheet.

"I don't know what it means for us, but I heard their drummer went insane last week and broke his own arm."

Elizaveta forced herself to smile and put her hand against Alfred's arm.

"Relax, I'll have an easy battle. There's no way they could find an equally great player in so short a time."

* * *

While his four friends were busy planning and talking about the rival band, Matthew drifted towards the bathroom so he could take a leak. He zipped up his pants once he was finished and went back to the door.

He opened it and was confronted with a corridor of lockers just like the ones he knew in highschool. He stepped out and saw a head of blonde hair at the other end of the hallway.

The woman opened a door with a star on it while a brown package was tucked under her arm. She disappeared through the exit and he tried to catch up. A gust of wind blew the door shut and he reached for the doorknob, trying to force it open.

He burst through after much pushing and kicking and found himself tumbling on to the floor of Francis' apartment. He got to his feet and realized that there was a small star marked on his cousin's front door, which he had never noticed before.

A bell rang just as he approached and he swiftly opened the door to see Amelia standing before him holding the delivery package.

* * *

**Here are the characters from the last two chapters.**

**Lucas 'Crash' Wilson: Norway**

**Joel MacMillan: Sweden**

**Michael Comeau: Estonia**


	5. Going Steady

**I would really appreciate if people could leave reviews, no matter how short they are since my stories are always lacking in them. I would also like at least some sign that people are reading this and enjoying it.**

* * *

"Delivery for Matthew Williams?" Amelia uttered in a deadpan manner, holding the parcel out with one hand.

"Yeah, that's me. What do you want me to with it...?" Matthew replied brightly, barely able to hold in his excitement.

"It would be great if you could just sign your name on this form and get this all done with."

She held up a pen and paper with her other hand, taking a slight step closer to the doorway to avoid the cold.

"But if I do that, you're going to leave right away."

"That's the idea."

Matthew swallowed and averted his eyes from Amelia's face out of fear that it would come across as creepy. He looked down at the ground, hoping it would suffice.

"I'm pretty sure I saw you in my dreams a couple of times. How did you do that?"

Amelia shrugged. "Oh, I know of a few subspace highways here and there. One just happened to run through your mind."

Matthew had never heard of such a thing as subspace and as it sounded like something from a science fiction novel, he felt he needed to find out.

"Subspace? What's that?"

"They don't teach you about it in your schools?" Amelia said in surprise. "No wonder it's so empty here..."

She then lapsed into a brief explanation of what it was and how it functioned, which left Matthew gaping in awe.

"Wow, that's amazing. So, can we hang out together sometime? I could show you around, since I've pretty much lived here all my life..."

"Fine. How about you sign your name and I think about it? Is that a deal?"

"Deal."

Matthew grabbed the form and pen from her and signed his name in less than a second, before tossing it behind him so that it landed in the trash bin.

"So is eight o'clock tonight fine with you?"

"Yeah, it is." Amelia answered after a long pause.

* * *

Amelia waited atop the flight of stairs that lead up to the local playground and wondered why Matthew had stopped halfway up on his way toward her.

"Aren't you going to come and join me?" She called out to him. He looked up at her and smiled shyly, something that she already observed him to do a lot.

"Sorry, I thought you were trying to strike a cool pose. I didn't want to interrupt."

"You're weird."

"I guess I am..." Matthew whispered as he climbed the steps to reach her side.

They walked through the snowy park together in silence until Matthew asked her a personal question.

"So what made you want to come here?"

"I don't know. I guess I wanted to be somewhere different from New York and get away from my lousy past. This city just seemed like a nice choice. It's so chilled here, you know?"

"Yeah, it definitely is." Matthew agreed, looking at the snow surrounding them.

"What about you? What do you do?" She asked him as they approached a pair of swings.

"I'm between jobs." He tried to sound casual while putting his hand around a chain, knowing the bad impression he would make if he told her that he was unemployed.

He sat down on one of the swings and she soon did the same. They swung themselves higher and higher until both their pairs of legs were too tired to kick any higher, at which they leaped off the swings and left them swaying gently in the air.

"I'm not the only one who can't stand winter nights for too long, am I?" Amelia chattered, rubbing her arms and shoulders to try to stay warm. "I think we should go indoors or something."

"We can go to my place. I believe it's free tonight..." Matthew suggested, vaguely remembering Francis saying something about spending a night out.

"No need. I think I see a door."

"A door?"

"Over there." Amelia pointed to a single white one standing some yards away with a black star adorning it and with seemingly nothing behind it.

"Subspace?"

"Why don't we try it? Who knows, it might take us to my house..."

Without another word, she took him by the hand and they flew towards the now opened door, disappearing through the dark entrance.

* * *

"How many types have you got there?" Matthew asked as Amelia searched through a cupboard for some coffee for the two of them.

"Let's see. There's acorn, barley, black eye, blood sausage, brown sauce, butterscotch, chocolate, coke, corn, dandelion, eggnog, green eye, herbal, ice tea, red eye, red tie, soy, vanilla and...latte."

"Did you make some of those up?"

"I think I'll have a latte this time." She decided, taking a pretty brown sachet.

Two steaming mugs were on the table moments later and Amelia walked out of the room without explanation. Matthew watched her leave and waited a few minutes for her to return with no result.

He stood up from his chair and went through the corridor to investigate. He wandered past a mirror into a room that he guessed could only be her bedroom, only to shriek when he caught a glimpse of her slim waist as she changed in front of her wardrobe.

"Dude, I'm changing!"

She spun around just as he covered his eyes and smiled mischievously at his reaction. It had been a while since a guy had freaked out over seeing part of her naked. She figured he was obviously inexperienced and a little surprise was in order.

"You can look now." She spoke softly as she moved herself up against him.

Matthew took his hands off his face and was taken aback by the sight of her face so close to his.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't we be having coffee-"

His words were cut short when she raised herself up to give him a long kiss on the lips. It was a complete shock for him at first, he found himself enjoying it and relaxed, soon returning the favour as imaginary pink hearts began to float around them.

"Would you still like coffee?" She whispered once it was all over.

"Maybe not...I feel cold..."

The bed by the wall of Amelia's room suddenly looked rather tempting to him and he glanced once again at her waist, a scandalous thought entering his mind.

* * *

"This...this doesn't have to be a one night stand, does it?" Matthew said as they departed the house the following morning.

"Well, we can go steady from now on, if it's alright with you-"

"I'm fine with that."

"Anyway, here's my number. I have an event at the Rockit to go to tonight."

"That's actually where I'm playing with my band!"

"Really? See you there, then."

She thrust a slip of paper into his hand hurriedly and took off down the street on her skates.

Matthew eyed the number written in pen and wondered why there were seven letter exes underneath it, before tucking it into his coat pocket. He vowed to keep it safe and dry until he could enter it into the contacts list on his cellphone later.

* * *

**The first evil ex should appear next chapter, so sorry if this story is moving too slowly.**

**On an unrelated note, I only realize now how quickly Scott and Ramona's relationship develops in the movie. It seems like only a few weeks.**

**I thought I would give some quick character summaries for this story, just to clarify things.**

**Matthew Williams: Recently graduated from university. Has been living with Francis for almost a year and is struggling to find a job.**

**Alfred F. Jones: Matthew's friend since middle school. They formed a band while they were at university.**

**Elizaveta Hedervary: She's of Hungarian descent (predictably). She reluctantly offered to be their drummer after nobody else wanted to take the position.**

**Emil Steilsson: A teenager who used to follow Matthew and Alfred around back when they were all in high school. He graduated recently and has moved in with them for the holidays before he heads off to college.**

**Francis Bonnefoy: Matthew's French cousin, who finished school ages ago. He's from a rich family and has a part time job as a restaurant cook.**

**Emma: One of Francis' old friends and a social butterfly who works at a cafe in her spare time.**

**Vicky/Victoria: A British expat who is currently juggling a handful of jobs to earn as much money as she can. She was Matthew's roommate for a short time back in university and also dated Alfred temporarily.**


	6. Battle of the Bands

_"Don't you dare leave me, Amy!" The dark skinned boy cried out in despair as Amelia walked further away from him. "It's us against the world!"_

_Her blonde locks bounced as she looked at him a final time, a trace of guilt in her chest at the tears running down his cheeks. Still, she wanted to appear calm and unafraid so she spoke to him firmly.  
_

_"You're wrong, it was us against the jocks. Maybe you could find a girl more like you."_

_"No, I won't!" He screamed, clenching his fists and stamping his foot on the ground._

* * *

Emma arrived at the Rockit with her new boyfriend in tow, feeling fairly confident at being able to score someone as attractive as him. She was also glad that her relationship with him had gone smoothly thus far and she hoped that something unexpected wouldn't end things between them prematurely.

Her hopes begin to drop when she saw Francis, suave as ever, leaning against a counter and sipping a drink with Matthew at his side. It wasn't a good sign for her at all, but she forced herself to put on a smile and pretend that nothing worried her.

As she and her boyfriend joined the two other males, she made sure to position herself near Francis in the hope that she could keep him in check.

* * *

Matthew waited with Francis' friends for a familiar face to arrive, glancing at his watch eagerly every few seconds to the concern of the other three. Ten minutes passed and his waiting paid off when he saw Amelia enter through the doors.

"Hey, you totally came!" He cheered, leaping up from his seat and running towards her.

"Yeah, I did come." She said awkwardly, unsure of what to make of the wide smile now plastered across his face.

"I'm Emma. You must be Matthew's other girlfriend." A slightly shorter girl greeted her first. She reached out to shake Amelia's hand while the latter grew confused over the possible mention of Matthew having another partner.

"That's Francis; He's Matthew's cousin, and this is my boyfriend Jean."

Jean waved subtly to Amelia before firing a curious glance at Francis while Emma was unaware.

"Matt!" A girl with bangs framing her face squealed as she threw herself at him from seemingly nowhere.

He froze when he saw her, unable to move as she hugged him tightly and kissed him for a second time. The blood drained from his face as she pulled away and he turned to give Amelia a look of horror while wishing he could just vanish on the spot.

"So, do you like my new haircut?"

"Eh, you look pretty different, May..."

It was then that she noticed the way Matthew was looking at the tall girl with blonde hair and she realized what was going on. She glared at her new rival, whom gave a questioning look at Emma who in turn stared bitterly at Francis.

Francis gazed seductively at Emma's boyfriend and the other male turned away, a slight blush visible in his cheeks.

"I've...I've got to go..." Matthew stammered, unable to cope with the mounting tension. He stepped away and ran as fast as he could to the backstage area.

* * *

"Man, this is bad!" Alfred panicked, turning through his flipchart for the seventh time that evening.

"Relax. Once we're on stage, everything will be fine!" Elizaveta tried to reassure him to little avail as she sat on a couch with Emil.

"Don't you get it? We were just on stage for sound check and even the sound guy hated us!"

"It's just nerves! Pre-show jitters!" Matthew cried, his voice faltering as he burst into the room to join them. "They'll love us, right?"

He hid himself among the stage curtains on one side and peeked fearfully up at his friends who were now taking their seats. Mei was sitting next to Amelia.

"Hey, Jean." Francis crooned to get the dark haired boy's attention. "What do you think of this band? Are they good or are they bad?"

Jean looked down at Erik and the Boys as they set up their instruments then looked back at Francis.

"How would I know? They haven't started playing yet."

"It was a test, Jean. You passed." Francis smiled, patting the younger male affectionately on the shoulder.

* * *

The spotlight fell on the empty chair behind the drums and the audience wondered why there were two guitarists and no drummer. Several whispered conversations sprung up here and there, but their worries were assuaged however, when a little white dog ran out from behind the curtains, jumped up on the chair and held up two drumsticks in it's front paws.

"Oh my god, it's so cute!" One young girl screamed as she met eyes with the puppy on stage.

"Good evening, I'm Erik..." A teenager with blond hair who wore a dark t-shirt announced into the microphone, ignoring the reactions of the audience. "And these are the boys..."

"Is that dog a boy?" A middle aged man yelled down at him.

"Yes." Erik replied firmly and in complete seriousness, which was enough to silence everybody but the Sex Bob-ombs.

"They have a dog for a drummer?" Elizaveta muttered, her eyes widening in horror. "Someone should check the rulebook!"

A bespectacled man picked up a thick book as if on cue and turned to a page near the middle, before turning to her and answering her doubts.

"According to section fourteen point four, dogs are indeed allowed to play instruments on stage."

"Well, somebody kill me..." Elizaveta sighed under her breath in defeat.

"This song is called 'I am so Sad, I am so Very, Very Sad'." Erik continued as he stood on stage. "It goes something like this."

The white dog hit it's drums four times, followed by Erik and his bass guitarist each playing a single long note.

"So...sad!" He screamed at the audience just as the 'song' ended. "Thank you."

"I wouldn't even call that a song!" Francis complained loudly to Jean, the newest object of his affection. The volume of his voice unfortunately, was enough to attract Erik's attention.

"This next one goes out to the guy who just yelled at us from the balcony." The young rock singer said with a frown and a little more malice in his voice. "It's called 'We Hate You, Please Die'."

"Charming boy..." Francis sighed in a tone that the others couldn't decide was sarcastic or sincere.

He played an opening riff on his guitar and began to sing.

_"We hate you, we hate you, we hate you. Die!"_

"Love you, Erik! You're so cute!" A pair of teenage girls in the front row cheered, standing up from their seats clapping and making a racket.

"And now, the final song goes out to those annoying bimbos who won't shut up..."

The two girls went quiet and glanced at each other as the dog began banging the drums with little restraint and Erik strummed his guitar wildly a few times. Berwald the bass player played a rough but complex riff to open the song.

Erik unleashed some incomprehensible screams upon the audience, not unlike what was expected from a metal band and thrust his head around all the while. The whole front row grew pale and their bodies quivered before they all fell unconscious, some dropping out of their seats and on to the floor.

"How are we supposed to beat this?! We're not going to win and we're not going to sign with A.K. either! Goddammit Matthew, don't just stand there!" Alfred paced around in complete panic, his voice being drowned out by the metal screams that showed no sign of ceasing.

"Thank you." Erik uttered hoarsely into the microphone for the last time once the song was finished before he and his band started packing up.

* * *

"So, what's happening between you and Matthew?" Emma asked Amelia with mock innocence in her voice.

"He's just a friend."

"He actually has a lot of friends. It gets hard for me to keep track sometimes..."

Amelia looked at the younger girl in uncertainty, but was ignored.

"May, how did you meet Matthew?"

"Well..." The young girl blushed. "It happened on the bus..."

Matthew saw Mei's lips moving as she talked with the other girls and he realized that he needed to act fast. Thinking of things as he went, he spun around and slapped Alfred in the face.

"We need to play now! And as loud as we can!"

"My Mum was being annoying and..." Mei explained, only to be distracted by the unmistakable sound of a microphone being turned on.

"And...?"

"Oh my gosh!" She screeched, lunging forward and grabbing on to the balcony rails with both hands. "They're actually playing!"

* * *

"Are you ready, Matt?"

Matthew nodded in determination, without taking his focus away from the balcony.

"We are Sex Bob-ombs!" Elizaveta yelled the band's signature catchphrase before she played the drums and they performed their song 'Garbage Truck'.

Halfway through, Matthew was feeling a lot more relaxed than he'd been when they started, but at the same time he was also anticipating the audience's reaction when they finished and hoped that it would be positive.

_"I'll be your garbage man_. _I'll take out your junk, a__nd I'll crush it down..."_ Alfred sang.

A deafening ripping noise coming from the ceiling brought their performance to a premature end. All three of them stared upwards as a flashily dressed man flew down towards the stage like Superman.

He landed in front of them and raised his head to make piercing eye contact with Matthew.

"Mr Williams! It is I, Prince Raj! Consider our fight begun!"

At that, the dark skinned young man jumped high up above everybody's heads and bunched his right hand into a fist.

"What do I do?!" Matthew cried as time seemed to slow down. He had no idea what was happening, or why this person was so angry with him.

"You fight!" Francis yelled at his loudest, his voice echoing around the building and being heard by all.

Matthew followed his cousin's advice and unplugged his guitar, throwing it aside to be caught by Emil. He leaned forward and punched Raj in the face before the latter could do the same and sent him tumbling.

Raj managed to regain his footing just short of crashing into the onlooking crowd and stood up before charging rapidly at Matthew, his roar and his gaze reminding the Canadian of a wild tiger.

Matthew delivered a high kick to Raj's face and the Indian flew up towards the ceiling. He then jumped up in the air after him and punched him numerous times, gaining rapidly increasing points until he scored a sixty-four hit combo.

Raj fell to the floor and the crowd stepped aside to make room for him. Matthew followed right after, landed on his feet and waited for the other to stand up again.

"Who are you?" Matthew asked politely, despite the fight they'd just had.

"I said, my name is Prince Raj!" Raj shouted with a wild swing of his arms. "And I'm Amelia's first evil ex-boyfriend!"

"Your what?!" Matthew exclaimed in shock, turning around to look up at Amelia.

"Anybody want drinks?" Amelia said sheepishly on the balcony as Matthew's friends all stared at her in surprise.

Raj lunged at Matthew and they exchanged a few more kicks and swings before Matthew thrust his opponent away with one arm.

"Wait! We're fighting over Amelia?"

"Didn't you get my letter explaining everything?"

"I...I kind of skimmed over it."

Raj's brows furrowed in anger and he began to punch and kick at Matthew so rapidly that the latter was unable to do anything but dodge, until one particularly forceful blow pushed him backwards into the crowd. Two strangers caught him in time and helped him back up.

As he walked cautiously towards the first evil ex, someone called out from the balcony.

"Hey, are you a Bollywood star?! You look like one!"

"Bollywood is in this year!" Raj screamed sulkily in response and ran towards Matthew, who was able to grab his arm this time and pull him into an arm lock.

"Did you really go out with this guy?!" Matthew yelled up at Amelia as he tried not to loosen his hold.

"Yeah, but it was in seventh grade." Amelia admitted, deciding it was time to be honest with her boyfriend.

"And?"

"...I had just started middle school and for some reason, all the popular boys were stalking me. Raj seemed like the only decent one around, so we joined forces and took them all down. We brawled for hours, but it was all awesome and worth it in the end. I guess I should have been thankful for his mystical powers...though we only kissed once and broke up the next week."

"Mystical powers?" Matthew questioned, letting go of Raj's arms without realizing. Raj turned around and shoved him away.

"You'll pay for this, Miss Howard!" He pointed up at Amelia accusingly, before breaking into a song and dance routine.

"What?!" Emma said in disbelief as Indian music began to play.

Raj chanted something in Hindi and raised his index finger in the air, shooting a stream of fire from it while attractive female dancers magically appeared behind him. He winked at the audience mid-song and two fireballs appeared in his hands.

He threw them both at Matthew but the Canadian ducked just in time, resulting in one burning down the stage curtains and causing an explosion, while the other incinerated Erik and the Boys before they could react.

As Raj prepared to fire at him again, Matthew saw a cymbal fall to the floor and picked it up. He flung it at Raj as if it were a frisbee and it hit him square on the head, stunning him for several seconds.

Matthew flew up and punched Raj in the face hard before the other could recover.

"K.O.!" A disembodied voice shouted as a look of horror passed over Raj's face and he exploded into coins, while the female dancers all vanished into thin air.

The coins fell to the floor and Matthew got down to pick them all up before he counted them in his hand.

* * *

_"Erik and the Boys appear to have left without notice, so I guess that makes Sex Bob-ombs the winners by default."_

"It was nice meeting you, Emma." Amelia smiled, relieved that the fight was all over. "And tell your gay friend I said 'hi'."

"Gay friend?" Emma said to herself in confusion as Matthew's girlfriend went down the stairs to the bottom floor. She turned to see Francis and her boyfriend kissing in the row behind her and gasped.

"This isn't even enough for a ride home!" Matthew whined in disappointment as he tucked the coins in his pocket. Amelia caught up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'll give you the extra thirty-five cents later. Now, let's go!"

* * *

**Matthew Patel is of course India in this story and Jean is nobody in particular, just some random person who has little effect on the plot.  
**

**As said in the previous chapter, I would really appreciate it if people would review.**


	7. The Castle

_Amy sat at the back of the classroom, trying her best to focus on the English teacher's dissection of Shakespeare's Hamlet and ignore the immature buffoons to her left. A scrunched up wad of paper was tossed onto her desk and she unfurled it despite her better judgement to see an obscene drawing of a woman. She crumpled it up in disgust and placed it on the corner of her table while the teacher was busy writing notes on the whiteboard.  
_

_She copied the words on the board into her exercise book until a bell rung to mark the start of lunch.  
_

_While she ate alone in the cafeteria and minded her own business, a tall stranger walked over and sat opposite her. She looked up at his face warily and he smiled at her before introducing himself._

_The next thing she knew, her ears flushed hot as blood rushed into them. She had no idea whether it was the boy's foreign accent or sincere smile that was making her flustered, but for the first time that year she felt like she had met someone worth getting to know._

* * *

Amelia provided the extra money to ride the bus just as she had promised and they both sat down by the window. Matthew thought back to his fight with Raj and how surreal it already seemed. He half expected Amelia to tell him that it had all been a dream from which he had only just woken up, but it was not the case.

"Matt...about what happened an hour ago..." She uttered hesitantly and turned toward him, getting his attention.

"What about it? Do tell..."

"If we're going to keep dating, you may have to defeat my other six exes..."

"Six exes?!" Matthew freaked out and almost fell from his seat in surprise.

"Shush, keep it down..." Amelia whispered, glancing quickly at the other passengers to make sure they hadn't heard.

"Sorry..." Matthew apologized and faced her. "I just think seven is a bit much..."

They did not exchange any further words for the remainder of the bus trip and Matthew got off at his stop feeling overwhelmed at what was to come.

* * *

Matthew entered the apartment to the pleasant smell of the meal Francis was cooking. He hung his coat up on the wall without even a polite greeting to his older cousin and passed through the kitchen to the living room, sitting down in an armchair.

"Is everything alright, Matthieu? You seem to be in a rush." Francis observed without taking his focus off the pan in front of him.

"Amelia asked to come here tonight for our date. I've already been at her place, so it's only fair..."

"Uh-uh, Matthieu. You forget that this place is in fact _mine_. I will only let you use it if you agree to one condition..."

"What is it?" Matthew asked as he watched his cousin walk into the living room holding a steaming plate in his hands.

"You must break up with that highschool girl today."

"Break up with her? That's going to be hard..."

"You don't want everybody to know you have two girlfriends, do you? You, the nice, polite boy who rarely ever misbehaved at school...?"

"I guess you're right..."

"Good. Now I have a Danish movie to watch this afternoon." Francis cut off, slapping him gently with a DVD cover.

"Danish movie?"

"Yes. It features newcomer Magnus Densen in a supporting role."

"Who's that?"

"You've never heard of him?" Francis remarked in surprise. "He used to be a cyclist, but now he's an actor too. He's even coming to the Castle to film some scenes for his next role."

"They film movies in Toronto?"

"Yes, they do. Now get out of my chair."

Matthew swiftly jumped up and made room for his cousin so as not to get on their bad side. He put on his coat as Francis began watching and quiet gunshots could be heard coming from the television.

* * *

He found the nearest telephone booth and shut himself inside before dialing Mei's number. He took a deep breath as he waited for the line to connect, all the while worrying about how he would break the bad news to her.

"Hello, May." He started once he heard her voice. "There's something I really need to tell you-"

_"Hey Matt! Answer my question! Are you wearing a red jacket, a brown flappy hat and dark trousers?"_

"Um, how do you know...? Are you psychic?"

_"No, I can see you!"_

Matthew dropped the receiver when he looked up to see her standing outside holding her cellphone and waving at him vigorously.

"Hey..."

* * *

They went once again to the record store and the first thing Matthew did there was look around for any signs of Vicky. Her complete absence did much to give him relief and he focused on Mei, whom was admiring a cardboard cutout of The Clash at Demonhead.

He clenched his fist courageously, remembering the mission he would have to complete by the time night came. He approached Mei and tried not to focus on the cold eyes of the famous band's lead singer.

"I'm so excited that they're coming here to play! Aren't you?"

"Yeah..." Matthew replied as he instinctively laid eyes on the image of the fair-haired young woman before him. All he could see was the face of his ex-girlfriend. He shifted his eyes to the girl beside him and instantly felt guilty about the possibility that he would break her heart just as his had been.

"So Matt, would you like to go out for dinner later?"

"Dinner?"

"Tonight at my house, if it's alright with you."

"I think that's a bad idea..."

"No, it's great!"

"I'm too old for you." Matthew stated, putting out the first and most obvious reason he could think of.

"But my Dad's nine years older than my Mum. Why should age matter when we're in love?"

"Um, May. I was actually thinking..."

Matthew paused to consider the fact that there was no going back before continuing. "I was thinking we should break up."

Mei's smile went away when she heard his words. She began to stare at the floor and the light around her seemed to diminish.

"But...why?" She whimpered.

"It's not going to work out."

She turned away in tears and he watched her for a while before leaving the record store quietly.

* * *

"Well, I'm off to the Castle to catch a star. If anything happens, you know where to find me, no?" Francis addressed the two younger adults upon preparing to leave the apartment.

"Yeah, Francis..." Matthew nodded half-heartedly as he prepared dinner by heating stuff in the microwave. Francis gave a subtle look of disapproval before shutting the door and disappearing from the room.

Once Matthew's cousin was gone, he and Amelia sat on the floor together to eat.

"You sure seem to have a big supply of Kraft Dinner..." Amelia remarked, looking down at the steaming macaroni in her bowl.

"Well, I never get tired of eating it."

"I've actually heard that having too much makes you fat, if you know what I mean."

"That can't be true!" Matthew shrieked, dropping his spoon back into his bowl.

"It's true. One of my old friends is a dietitian..."

* * *

Around thirty minutes later, Matthew was feeling a little tipsy from drinking some of the stuff in his cousin's wine cupboard. He stumbled back into the living room carrying a guitar and realized he couldn't remember how he'd come by the instrument (he was sure his cousin didn't even own one).

Regardless, he slumped down against a wooden chair and began to play a country song while singing along unsteadily. Amelia listened to him and feigned enjoyment, despite some of his flat notes making her feel uncomfortable all over.

Forty five minutes since their date had begun, Matthew had sobered up enough to realize how amateurish his performance was and promptly ceased playing to Amelia's relief. She gave him a hug without much warning and placed a hand at the back of head to stroke his hair.

"Wow, it's so soft and shaggy..."

Matthew jolted and pulled himself out of her embrace in embarrassment. He ran his hand through his hair and nervously stood up to go to the bathroom.

"Is something wrong?!" Amelia called out in concern.

"I think I need a new haircut!" Matthew yelled back while staring at his reflection in disappointment.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, Matt! I think your hair is cute that way!"

"Do you really think so?"

"Yeah! Don't ever change it!"

Matthew popped back out of the bathroom wearing a knit cap and faced Amelia, whom had now risen from her previous sitting position.

"Why are you wearing that hat?"

"I thought we could go for a walk!" He said impatiently and headed for the door, leaving her with little choice but to put on her coat and do the same.

* * *

"So we came out here just so you cover your hair with that hat?" Amelia asked him playfully as he caught up with her on the stairs in the park.

"No, I just like walking. So, where are we going?"

"I thought you had it all planned out."

"Oh yeah, I forgot..." Matthew sighed, continuing on ahead of her as she followed, the shape of a large castle beginning to make itself visible before them.

"What is that building? It looks kind of medieval."

Amelia's jaw dropped in awe at it's size and apparent mystery as she came to a complete stop.

"That's the Castle. Francis said he was coming here to watch them shoot a movie scene."

"Shooting a movie? That sounds really cool!"

"Yep. He also told me about some Danish guy with the surname Densen. I forgot his first name though, but I think it started with an 'M'..."

"Matt..." Amelia uttered quietly, her voice suddenly taking on an unusual seriousness.

"Huh?"

"Remember what I said about defeating my seven exes?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

Amelia simply stared at him for a while with a blank expression before seeming to relax. She took his hand and lead him casually along towards the film set, while he tried to figure out why she had dropped a pressing subject so quickly.

* * *

**A/N: If you're wondering why Amelia decided not to tell Matthew what was awaiting him, she's just as anxious about it all as he is. Plus, she is also pretty ashamed of her past dating behaviour and may be reluctant to discuss it openly with anyone, especially her new boyfriend. **

**PS: If you are reading this story, please try to review if possible.**


	8. Great Dane

_Amy soon learned that the boy was an exchange student from Denmark and they became friends rather quickly, often visiting each other's houses to help with homework. They were inseparable for much of the semester and before they knew it, their friendly meetings soon evolved into dates._

_They shared an emotional farewell when he had to return home at the end of the year. He promised to keep in touch with her through their social network accounts and she gladly agreed to do the same before he left._

_She managed to contact him regularly over the holidays and the first half of senior year, but the stacks of assignments and exams soon overwhelmed her. She began spending less time updating her profile status and more time studying until she had all but forgotten his presence in her life._

* * *

"Hey, Francis. Did you catch the star you were after?" Matthew asked his French cousin as he and Amelia pushed themselves through the crowd gathered outside the film set.

"No, but I think he's coming soon."

Amelia swallowed in dread and glanced at the strangers around her. She mulled over the possibility of leaving the scene unnoticed while Matthew was still conversing with Francis, but her conscience spoke against it and she simply continued to stand where she was despite what was coming.

Francis' prediction was confirmed when the tall Danish actor arrived pedalling on his bicycle. He leaped off with a single swing of his left leg and propped his vehicle against the stone wall of The Castle.

The Dane swaggered along proudly to where his next scene would be shot, ignoring the antics of the make-up and film crew. A young actress got into her position in front of the camera, before a large man stepped behind her and pointed a prop gun by her head and she feigned a look of terror.

Matthew thought he recognised her face from one of the magazines his cousin read and remembering advice that he should be more interested in European cinema, he decided to ask Francis about her identity.

"She's quite a famous model back in Denmark and this is her first film appearance, thanks to Mr Densen, who is her boyfriend."

Matthew turned to gaze at the girl and found it strange that the more he looked at her, the more it seemed as if she were glowing.

"Hey, I'm right here!" Amelia called his attention, elbowing him bluntly in the shoulder. He instantly felt a little guilty for staring at another lady when his girlfriend was right beside him and was quick to apologise.

* * *

"Action!" Magnus yelled before the director could do so. He cleared his throat and strode out to face the villain holding his love interest at gunpoint. He whispered something in Danish under his breath before looking up and seeing a familiar face in the crowd.

He forgot all about the movie he was starring in when he saw the young man with his former American girlfriend and cracked his knuckles in rage at the sight. He marched forward and both of his co-stars stared in confusion when he went right past them and towards Amelia.

"The only thing between you and me is the two minutes it's going to take to kick your ass!"

His love interest broke free from the villain's grasp and shouted a profanity at him, but he could not hear her over the sound of his own voice.

Matthew gulped when he noticed how the Dane appeared to tower over him, despite being only a couple of inches taller. Amelia's earlier aborted warning made sense to him at that moment and he frantically thought of something that would diffuse the situation.

"N-nice to meet you! Do you mind giving me your autograph?" He tried to say confidently, only for his voice to come out as more of a nervous whimper.

"My autograph? Sure!" Magnus replied enthusiastically, placing a hand upon Matthew's shoulder. "But only after I've beaten you up!"

The actor's fist hit him in the face before he could react and he sprawled backwards on to the ground. He got up in pain and shuddered when he saw the large scrapes on his elbows. Nevertheless, he knew that he would have to be tough, as this was only the second evil ex-boyfriend.

"Evil ex! Not evil ex-boyfriend!" Amelia yelled from where she stood, as if she could read his thoughts.

Matthew stood his ground and bunched his fists up, readying himself for the next blow. It was a great disappointment therefore, when Magnus simply shrugged and claimed that he was done for the night.

"But aren't we supposed to fight?" Matthew called out at the actor when he began to walk away.

"I'm actually really thirsty right now, so I thought it would be a great idea if you could take on my stunt doubles in the meantime."

"Stunt doubles?!"

"Yep."

Magnus beckoned and a team of six blond men stepped out from behind a trailer and eyed Matthew aggressively.

"Do what ever you want with him, boys." Magnus instructed them casually, before he made his way to the nearest vending machine.

The stunt doubles charged at Matthew once the actor was gone and he punched one in the face, sending him straight to the ground. A second one attacked him from the side and all it took was a whack in the head to take them down.

Matthew was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to finish off the remaining four and once he was done, he found it hard to believe that the men were actually made of flesh and bone.

He rubbed his hands together to get rid of the dust and walked off in the same direction Magnus had gone.

* * *

Magnus had only just purchased a soda drink when he spun around to see Matthew before him, unharmed apart from his grazed elbows.

"Impossible!" The actor cried in alarm, dropping his bottle. "You're supposed to be a bloody pulp!"

"Are we going to fight now or not?" Matthew stressed as he impatiently crossed his arms.

"Fine..." Magnus sighed, kicking his drink aside. "Let's do it at the top of the Castle, away from any possible interruption!"

They somehow climbed the lofty stairs to the tower in a magically short time. Matthew didn't have much time to enjoy the view unfortunately, as Magnus did not hesitate to deliver several rapid punches that he failed to defend himself against.

It was only when Magnus had him pinned on top of the tower battlements and he felt a cold breeze through his hair that he thought of how close he was to possible death. Yet even then, he felt he could still reason with his opponent and save himself from being thrown over.

_"He used to be a cyclist..." _Francis' words repeated in his head and he knew then that he had something to work on.

"You love your bicycle, don't you?" He asked Magnus as he tried to keep his head upright.

"Yes, I do. What of it?"

"And your girlfriend was down there watching you, wasn't she?"

"Amelia?" Magnus said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, your current one!" Matthew corrected him.

"Oh, her..."

"Listen, since it's clear that this fight was unfair, I was wondering if there was a better way!"

"What do have you in mind?" Magnus sighed, stepping back and releasing his hands from Matthew's shoulders.

"If you can ride your bike down those stairs, I'll let you have her back. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a great deal!"

* * *

Magnus winked at Matthew and wheeled his bicycle to the edge of the first step. He mounted, pressed his foot on the pedals and within seconds, was skidding down the stairs at such a speed that his only hope of stopping was to reach the bottom.

Sparks flew as the wheels rubbed harder against the rough stone and Matthew thought he smelt burning rubber when Magnus was halfway down. A flame sprung up behind the bicycle as Magnus came closer to the foot of the stairs and the actor grinned in delight, sure he was about to complete the challenge.

He never considered the fact that his sheer speed could have severe repercussions and as he pressed his fingers against the handbrakes, the whole bicycle caught fire and he was flung high up in the air.

His mind went blank as he hit something hard and his body exploded into coins.

Matthew sat on the stairs and felt a slight sense of both accomplishment and remorse when he saw the bright flash of orange below, knowing it was a sign that he still had five more to go.


End file.
